Tips to Choose a Home Security Professional for a Houston Burglar Alarm Installation

According to the Houston Police Department’s statistics, there were over 2,300 burglaries in July 2011. Unfortunately, that was not an exceptional month for the HPD – it’s well within the average range for the number of burglaries that happen every month in the city. A home security system can help you keep your home, your property and your family safe, but it’s important to choose the right Houston burglar alarm company to sell and install your home security system. The Electronic Security Association, a non-profit member organization of home security and burglar alarm system professionals, offers the following tips to find the best Houston burglar alarm and home security professionals for your needs.

Choose a local company for your home security needs. A Houston home security expert knows the market and knows the area well enough to make reasonable recommendations for your home or business security needs.

Ask your property insurance agent to recommend a home security company – and a home security system. Insurance companies have a vested interest in guaranteeing that your home is as protested as possible because if someone makes it past your burglar alarm system, the insurance company ends up paying out. Many insurance companies will offer as much as a 30% discount on your insurance premiums when you install a home alarm system. Your agent can tell you which security systems will net you the biggest savings.

Contact the Houston Police Department’s Robbery Unit and ask them to do a home security audit and recommend a style and type of burglar alarm or home security system that’s best for your property. The police department can’t recommend specific Houston home security vendors, but they can help you define the best systems for your needs, which you can then compare with recommendations made by home security companies.

Make appointments with three to four Houston burglar alarm companies to do a security assessment of your home and give you a quote on their home security recommendations. Always ask the company for the name of the person who will be keeping the appointment and ask for positive identification before allowing him to enter your home.

Compare the quotes against each other, using a checklist to find the deal that will provide the best security for your home at the best price.

Protect your property and your family from burglaries and home invasions. Contact a Houston burglar alarm vendor to find the best home security system for your needs.

Driveway Alarms Add to Home Security Systems

In Houston and surrounding cities and suburbs, it’s not unusual for homeowners to not be able to see the end of their driveway from their windows. Home security systems often include driveway alarms to increase the security and awareness of homeowners whose main purpose is to safeguard their families. While basic home security systems focus on alarming entry doors and first floor windows, all of which can serve as entry points for burglars and home invaders, driveway alarm systems serve as an early warning system to alert homeowners that someone has entered their property.

At their most basic, driveway alarms employ motion sensors and operate like most burglar alarms. When something breaks the motion detector beam, the sensor sends a signal to a receiver, which alerts those in the home with some sort of audible signal. More complex home alarm systems include a driveway alarm that ties into an integrated home security system. In that case, the signal may trigger notification to the homeowner’s smartphone or alert an alarm monitoring company that someone has entered the premises that are being protected by the security system.

There are do-it-yourself options for driveway alarms, but most of those are extremely limited in both range and reaction. They may only come with a single motion sensor, and may not be capable of tying into other home security systems Houston homes may employ. This can be especially important if you’ve decided that you want to include alarm system monitoring in your security criteria because most home monitoring companies rely on equipment that is compatible with their monitoring systems.

If you do decide that you want to monitor traffic in and out of your driveway or paths to your home, there are several considerations to keep in mind.

First, be sure that you choose a burglar alarm system that’s rated for outdoor use. They should be designed to withstand snow and rain, as well as to deal with the variations in light over the course of the day.

Choose a burglar alarm that is programmed to avoid being triggered by small animals so that you’re not constantly being pinged when a neighborhood dog trots past your driveway. At the same time, be sure to locate the sensor where it’s not likely to be triggered by blowing branches and leaves so that you’re not awakened by the wind on breezy nights.

For best results and the best security, consult a Houston burglar alarm company for recommendations on driveway alarm systems, alarm system monitoring and Houston home security systems.

Top Honeywell Security System Advantages

Honeywell Security Systems have an excellent reputation in the home security industry for many good reasons. Originally, Honeywell supplied high-quality security systems for the business and industry sectors. When they decided to move into the home security market, they brought their years of experience with monitored alarm systems, wireless alarm systems and industry-leading security system advances with them. If you’re considering a new home security system or an upgrade to your current system, Honeywell Security Systems are among your best choices for quality and reliability.

Advantages of Choosing a Honeywell Security System

Honeywell is one of the best-known names in home alarm systems in the United States. Formerly known as Ademco Alarm, Honeywell has spent years building a reputation for quality and reliability.

The company is a leader in innovation and cutting edge advances. Honeywell systems offer the most advanced technologies, long before other home security systems include those features. As an example, Honeywell has offered color touchscreen keypads for years. Other home security companies are just beginning to offer the technology.

Honeywell offers complete integration of your home alarm system, CCTV security cameras and home automation. A wireless Honeywell Security System, for example, can email you when your alarm activates, send you a text message when your door is unlocked and send video images directly to your PC or Smartphone.

You can log into your Honeywell Security System remotely via Smartphone or Internet to perform all the same functions you can perform from your home control panel.

Honeywell uses its technology savvy in smart ways. For example, most Honeywell security systems include a smart motion detector so that your pets can wander around the house while the system is activated without tripping the alarm. With the pet smart sensor, you no longer have to confine your pets to one room to keep them from setting off the alarm.

A Honeywell Security System offers a high degree of customization and flexibility. There are many accessories and expansion modules available, most of them compatible with each other. That allows you to buy the system you want or can afford, and add new features when you need them.

The base model for a Honeywell system allows up to 48 added sensor contacts, allowing you to increase the security of your home without buying a new control unit.

Your purchase of a Honeywell Security System supports your local economy. Honeywell markets its home security systems through a network of locally owned home security businesses. That also puts customer support right in your neighborhood. When you choose a Honeywell Security System, you can count on help being there when you need it, every time you need it.

Back to School Safety and Home Security Tips

As the summer winds down and the kids get ready to head back to school, you’ve got a great opportunity to reinforce basic safety and home security knowledge with your school-age kids. These tips from Safeguard Home security, a Houston home security company, can help you keep your kids safe as they head back into their school year routine.

Teach Your Kids How to Use Your Home Security System

If your kids are at home alone after school, it’s essential that they know how to arm and disarm your home security system. They should know the security code and how long they have to enter the security code after they open the door before the alarm goes off.

Add the Security Code to the List of Things You Never Share

Most kids already know that they shouldn’t share the passwords to their user accounts and voice mail systems. Add the burglar alarm security code to the list of things you never share with anyone. Be specific when you address this with them. Many kids are trusting, especially when it comes to friends. Impress upon them that they should never let even a trusted friend see what numbers they enter on the number pad, or ask a friend to punch it in for them as they head for their bedrooms or the bathroom.

Upgrade Your Home Alarm System to a Smarter One

Newer home alarm systems have some nifty little side benefits that can help you keep track of your kids and make sure that they’re safe after school. You can set up your security system to phone you when each of your kids gets home and checks in, for example. You’ll never spend the afternoon in a panic because your teen forgot to call when he got home again.

Protect Your Kids with a Personal Alarm

Your kids may be responsible enough to walk to and from the school bus or school alone, but that doesn’t mean they’re 100% safe on the walk. Outfit them with a portable, wearable alarm to call for help in an emergency. There are many small “shrieker” alarms that can hang from a belt loop or a carabiner on a backpack. All it takes is a press of a button to alert anyone nearby that someone needs help.

You can’t always be there for your kids after school, but you can provide them with the safety and security they need. For more ideas on ways to help keep your children safe after school, contact a professional installer or home security system dealer.

The Importance of Alarm System Monitoring

Home security systems are high on the list of most desired extras in new Houston homes, and with good reason. As crime rates rise in Houston, home security companies are seeing a rise in orders for comprehensive home security systems. The best security systems are more than burglar alarms. They include state of the art monitoring capabilities as well as many other perks that help keep your family safe from more than just burglars. Of course, the quality of your home alarm system depends upon the quality of the alarm system monitoring service with whom you contract. Houston home security companies offer many systems that include alarm system monitoring to add an additional level of protection to your home security system.

What Is Alarm System Monitoring?

The most basic burglar alarm systems sound an alarm when someone triggers them by breaking a circuit or entering the perimeter the alarm protects. Those systems rely on alerting you and nearby neighbors that someone has intruded. They only offer protection when you’re home to hear the alarm or if neighbors react to the alarm by calling security or the police.

The next step up on the home security system ladder is systems that automatically dial one or more telephone numbers when someone triggers the alarm. Most people have the system alert the homeowner as well as an alarm system monitoring company. The monitoring company will generally attempt to reach the homeowner, and if they can’t, they’ll alert the authorities. These systems offer more security than a burglar alarm, but are far from state of the art.

Today’s best home security systems include complete alarm system monitoring. With these, your home system is wired into a network that is monitored 24/7 by human monitors. When the alarm is triggered, they have a specific sequence of events to follow which may include attempting to contact the homeowner, switching to audio or video monitoring of your home and alerting the appropriate rescue service to get you help.

Alarm system monitoring is a vital part of your home security system, especially if you’re including personal alarm monitoring as part of your security package. This is especially important if your family includes a senior or a disabled person who is prone to falling or has other health issues. If your parent or disabled family member is ever at home alone, it’s important to consider home alarm monitoring. Houston home security companies offer varying levels of home alarm system monitoring so that you can choose exactly the level that’s right for your needs.

What to Look for in Alarm System Monitoring

Home security systems come in many different flavors. One of the most popular types of home burglar alarms is a security system with alarm monitoring. Houston security experts generally recommend monitored alarm systems for the highest level of security available. But monitored alarm systems are only as good as the company doing the monitoring. If you’re putting the lives of your family into the hands of a Houston home security company, you should take great pains to select the best one for your needs. Here are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing your Houston burglar alarm.

Don’t Make Price Your Only Consideration

Be wary of companies that offer alarm monitoring at prices that seem too good to be true. They probably are. Be doubly wary of companies that offer “free alarm systems” in return for buying their alarm monitoring services. Among the most important reasons are that you won’t own the alarm system, and will probably be locked into a long-term contract for home security monitoring. In most cases, you won’t be able to switch monitoring companies even if you can break the contract because the wireless security systems they provide aren’t compatible with other equipment used by better Houston alarm system monitoring companies.

Choose a UL Approved Alarm System

Underwriters Laboratory sets very high standards for electrical equipment and support services. Make sure that the company providing your alarm monitoring services is UL approved to be sure that they meet the same high standards.

Work with a Company That is Locally Owned And Operated

There are many good reasons to choose a Houston burglar alarm company for your home security. Local companies work hard to protect and maintain their reputations in their own communities. If the company serves you well, they hope you’ll spread the word. If they fail you, however, they know you will.

Contract with a Full Service Home Security Company

It may seem less expensive to purchase your home security system from an online discounter, install it yourself and contract with a third party home alarm monitoring company, but you could be passing up some important advantages. When you work with a company that takes care of the entire project, from sale to monitoring, you’ll find that everything runs much smoother. In addition, if there are ever problems, it’s much easier to deal with one company than track down which one is responsible for fixing your issue.

A home security system with alarm system monitoring offers the best security for your home and your family. Don’t compromise that additional safety by choosing the wrong company to provide the monitoring.

Houston Home Security System Tips

It’s spring, and while a young man’s fancy may turn to thoughts of love, those with a larcenous bent turn their thoughts to something a bit less fanciful. According to the Houston crime map and related statistics, you can expect burglary and home break-ins to accelerate during the spring and summer months each year. In fact, the April stats for burglary increased to an alarming 1,201 break-ins, an increase of more than 4 percent over March’s 950 incidents. Theft and robbery stats showed a similar increase in month-to-month stats, emphasizing the importance of installing and using a Houston home security system to protect your home and family from loss.

Statistics show that homes without a home security system or burglar alarm are far more likely to be targeted by thieves than those with installed home security systems. The most important tip for securing your home is to find a Houston home security firm and have a burglar alarm installed. Don’t just go for any burglar system, either – many people are so inured to the sirens of car and home alarm systems that they typically ignore them. Instead, invest in a home security system that’s monitored or connected to a central station to ensure that someone responds if there’s a break-in at your property.

If you’re moving into a home with an existing alarm system, contact the installer and alarm monitoring provider to switch the service to your name, and to discuss upgrade possibilities. The home security system industry has made incredible advances in technology over the past few years, and any alarm system installed more than two to three years ago may not offer the protections that your family needs. Most notably, with so many people opting for VoIP and cell phones instead of traditional telephone systems, you’ll need to be sure that your home security system is compatible with your choice of phone system. You should also inquire about new services available through smart phone apps that will allow you to arm and disarm your security system remotely, change key codes on the fly and monitor those that enter and leave your property when you’re not home.

Make sure that your security system is comprehensive. It should encompass all windows and doors that are accessible to burglars. Your security plan should also look beyond alarms and alarm monitoring to other security-conscious choices. For example, install motion-sensitive lights on your property to illuminate any dark corners whenever someone approaches them. In many cases, the mere presence of a security light will scare burglars away.

High-end alarm systems include individual window alarms activated by vibration, panic buttons to alert authorities in case of a home invasion and motion sensors in rooms to detect intruders once they’ve penetrated your home’s perimeter.

If you have no burglar alarm or if your home security system is more than a few years old, contact a top-notch Houston home security company to learn about the upgrades available today.